Author: by Staff

In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only Expert Blogs are written by development professionals with a wealth of experience to share. We hope that both sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information about the blogs, check out the official posting guidelines. In this latest round-up, industry notables write about making new games for old systems, IGF 2010 judge feedback, and why non-linearity shouldn't be the "holy grail" of RPGs. Here are the top blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Expert Blogs - IGF 2010 Judges on Planck v.0 (Matthew Burns) Shadegrown Games' Matthew Burns writes about his experience with this year's Independent Games Festival. His game, Planck v.0 didn't make it to the finals, but here he puts on display judges' feedback, talks about the challenge with the ongoing development of the game. - Non Linearity: A Necessary RPG Element? ( Pallav Nawani) IronCode's Pallav Nawani examines whether or not free-exploration and overall non-linearity are really necessary for role-playing games. While many role-playing games tout freedom and non-linearity, Nawani argues that, no, unbridled freedom "isn't the holy grail" of RPG design. - Are Modchips Illegal? (Jas Purewal) In a new blog post, resident blogging lawyer Jas Purewal looks at the ever-contentious issue of modchips. Here, he looks at three recent cases involving modchips to examine the situation more closely… - Applying For A Job: Please Do It RIGHT. (Alan Wilson) In a self-described "rant," Tripwire's Alan Wilson draws from his recent recruitment experiences to explain what not to do when applying for a job. For instance: "Don't try and get clever. 'You need winners and I am a winner!' Just... NO. No one is going to go 'wow, he is SO right!'" - Premature Sunsets (Ian Bogost) Game designer and professor Ian Bogost expresses hope that Microsoft's recently-announced classic game-focused Game Room will be a venue for new games for old systems. As someone who makes new games for the Atari 2600 games, he has a special interest. (Bogost is an IGF 2010 finalist with A Slow Year, pictured.)